Woven elastic fabric



May l0, 1938. A. A.4 HoDGKlNs 2,116,701

WOVEN ELASTIC FABRIC Filed Aug. '7, 1937 INVENTOR 4. @mij/NW6 ATTORNEY Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WOVEN ELASTIC FABRIC' Application August 7,

2 Claims.

The invention relates to an improvement in woven elastic fabrics which are especially adaptable for making body wear articles of which girdles are an example.

Among the objects of the invention are:

To provide a relatively thin -elastic fabric, but a strong fabric and one having good wearing quality;

To provide an open, or ventilated, fabric when stretched; and

To provide a fabric which will be soft on the side where it contacts with the body when worn, and will have on its other, or reverse side, a relatively hard surface over which clothing will easily slip.

The invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan of the fabric when stretched as during the weaving.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan of the fabric in its normal or contracted form; and

Fig. 4 is a plan like Fig. 1 but showing a slightly modified form of weaving.

Referring to the drawing, I represents in the fabric any one of a series of standard elastic warp strands. These strands are of ordinary type covered rubber thread or elastic yarn. The strands, however, are relatively large, a number 40 rubber thread being preferably employed. 2 are elastic weft strands upon which the warps are superimposed. These weft strands are, also, ordinary type covered elastic yarn but in size are much smaller than the warp strands, a number rubber thread being preferably employed in the weft.

The warp and weft strands are bound together by doup threads 3. These threads are preferably relatively soft cotton, rayon or silk threads. A number 20/2 cotton thread is preferably employed. As shown in Fig. 1 each of these doup threads associated with a single warp strand is passed successively beneath a weft strand on one side of the warp strand, thence crosses over the face of the warp strand and beneath the next successive weft strand on the other side of the warp strand, then crosses back to the side of the warp strand from which the start was m'ade and beneath the next successive weft strand, and progressively so on, thus forming a common type of leno. In Fig. 4 a variation in the weave is shown. Here the doup threads associated with successive warp strands vary in that they pass beneath the weft strands from opposite sides of the warp strands, one passing under a weft strand at the 1937, Serial No. 157,867

left of the warp strand as the other is passing under the same weft strand at the right of the Warp strand.

With a weave thus: made the objects of the invention previously pointed out are obtained as 5 follows: In the rst place, as previously referred to, the warp strands are relatively large Strands and the weft strands relatively small strands. In practice about fourteen ends of warp and sixty picks of weft are employed for each square inch 10 of fabric in its normal or contracted form. This gives proper elastic balance to the fabric as is desirable in a two-way stretch elastic fabric. The fabric is woven with the warp strands well stretched and the weft strands well spaced from one another. In consequence the disposition of the doup threads with relation to the respective warp strands will appear substantially as shown in Fig. 1, or Fig. 2. When, however, the fabric is allowed to contract then the weft strands will be allowed to come together whereupon the doup threads will be moved into positions where they will appear as cross doupings 4 (see Fig. 3) over the faces of the warp strands.

Inasmuch as the weft strands are relatively small strands the cross doupings will be brought snugly tog-ether in the contracted fabric, extending at such time over the faces of the warp strands in direction substantially normal thereto.

The cross doupings will, also, in the contracted fabric be held snugly together for the weave is so made that the number and size of the weft strands bear such relation to the tensioning of the warp strands during the weaving that when the fabric is allowed to contract some tension will be left in the warp: strands which tends to hold the cross doupings together.

Inasmuch as the warp strands are relatively large in size the cross doupings will be of appreciable length and the lines of cross doupings in the contracted fabric will lie close together, but preferably slightly out of edge contact with each other, depending as the warp strands are spaced.

As thus made a relatively thin elastic fabric is obtained but a strong fabric and one having good wearing quality. The fabric is an open or ventilated fabric when stretched. The cross doupings covering the strands provide the side of the fabric with a soft facing and this is the side which contacts with the body when the fabric is worn. 'Ihe reverse side of the fabric presents a relatively hard surface over which clothing will easily slip.

The fabric is much more pliant in stretching over the body in that the stretch is not confined to the right angle planes in which the Warp and weft are laid, so noticeable in the usual Woven elastic fabric. The stretch in this fabric is not confined to any direction.

I claim:

1. A Woven elastic fabric comprising spaced elastic Warp strands, spaced elastic Weft strands upon which the warp strands are superimposed, and doup threads binding the Warp strands to the weft strands, each doup thread associated with a single warp strand passing successively beneath a weft strand on one side of the Warp strand, thence over the face of the warp strand and beneath the next successive Weft strand on the other side of the Warp strand, then crossing back to the side of the Warp strand from which the start was made, and beneath the next successive weft strand, and progressively soon, the weft strands being small strands in relation to the Warp strands and with such number of picks of weft to any determinate extent of fabric that in the contracted fabric said doup threads will be brought snugly together to form cross doupings over the Warp strands on one side of the fabric with extension in direction substantially normal thereto. Y

2. A Woven elastic fabric comprising spaced elastic Warp strands, spaced elastic weft strands upon which the Warp strands are superimposed, and doup threads binding the Warp strands to the weft strands, each doup thread associated with a single Warp strand passing successively beneath a weft strand on one side of the Warp strand, thence over the face of the Warp strand and beneath the next successive weft strand on the other side of the Warp strand, then crossing back to the side of the Warp strand from which the start was made, and beneath the next successive Weit strand, and progressively so on, the Weit strands being small strands in relation to the Warp strands and with such number of picks of weft to any determinate extent of fabric that in the contracted fabric said doup threads Will be brought snugly together to form cross doupings over the Warp strands on one side of the fabric with extension in direction substantially normal thereto, said cross doupings beingheld snugly together in the contracted fabric by tension left inherent in the Warp strands.

ALBERT A. HoDGKINs. 

